The first batch of 39 ‘Agniveers’ of Sikkim State was dispatched to various training establishments of Indian Army (IA) for enrolment and basic military training on 22 and 23 Dec 22 by the Army Recruiting Office, Siliguri.
The selection of these young men had started with the Agniveer Recruitment Rally, which was conducted at Baichung Bhutia Stadium, Namchi from 01 to 05 Sep 22 under the aegis of Trishakti Corps in concert with the State Govt of Sikkim. The rally, which was first of its kind in the region, under the Agniveer Scheme witnessed overwhelming response, with 3025 young men from Sikkim registering for the same. Following the rally, the successful candidates were put through a Common Entrance Examination (CEE) which was held at Nar Bahadur Bhandari Govt College, Tadong on 16 Oct 22. The successful candidates were then put through medical tests and a final merit list was drawn up.
The Agniveer scheme is a revolutionary and transformational Human Resources Management initiative of the Indian Army. In this scheme, a percentage of youth getting enrolled in the Indian Army are given the option of being discharged after four years along with various incentives and a handsome financial package. This is expected to assist these disciplined and upright young men in setting up various entrepreneurships, thereby providing a significant boost to the local economy in the region.
